DIVSix stories from the papers of one of America’s finest crime authors /divDIV/divDIVRoger doesn’t mean for the preacher and his wife to die. Released less than a year earlier from San Quentin, he’s trying to make a living the only way he knows how: theft. His latest heist goes perfectly until his car breaks down. Sirens are closing in when an old black preacher stops to give him a lift. The police at the roadblock kill the elderly couple, but in the eyes of the law it’s Roger’s fault. And he will die in the gas chamber at San Quentin—unless he can break out first./divDIV /divDIVRoger’s incredible story anchors this collection of short fiction by Edward Bunker, who knew better than anyone what it means to be a criminal, inside and outside of prison. In these stories, which were unpublished at the time of his death in 2005, he shows again the talent that made him such a remarkable writer./div

IN 12 YEARS, MICHELLE LYONS WITNESSED NEARLY 300 EXECUTIONS. First as a reporter and then as a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Michelle was a frequent visitor to Huntsville's Walls Unit, where she recorded and relayed the final moments of death row inmates' lives before they were put to death by the state. Michelle was in the death chamber as some of the United States' most notorious criminals, including serial killers, child murderers and rapists, spoke their last words on earth, while a cocktail of lethal drugs surged through their veins. Michelle supported the death penalty, before misgivings began to set in as the executions mounted. During her time in the prison system, and together with her dear friend and colleague, Larry Fitzgerald, she came to know and like some of the condemned men and women she saw die. She began to query the arbitrary nature of the death penalty and ask the question: do executions make victims of all of us? An incredibly powerful and unique look at the complex story of capital punishment, as told by those whose lives have been shaped by it, Death Row: The Final Minutes is an important take on crime and punishment at a fascinating point in America's political history.

Examines the history of prisons in the United States with articles about convict labor, escapes, famous and infamous wardens, fires, notable prisoners, riots, prison society, reformers, terminology, and more.

Death Penalty Cases provides an unbiased collection of seminal death penalty cases in the United States. It offers full but carefully edited excerpts from 25 different US Supreme Court cases along with helpful introductory materials specially prepared by the editor. It also includes the latest statistical data on capital punishment [and a useful sampling of death penalty statutes]. Together, this material is invaluable for a full understanding of this fascinating subject. Without taking sides on this controversial issue, the author illuminates the arguments and presents the cases that form the framework for US law on capital punishment. The keen selection of the material and the quality and extent of the commentary make this unique textbook a superb resource and an outstanding educational tool. * Carefully edited excerpts from 25 landmark US Supreme Court cases * Outstanding original interpretation and analysis from the author * A wealth of impartial material on ethics and historical controversies

The music of the United States is so cool! It reflects the country’s multicultural population through a diverse array of styles. Rock and roll, hip hop, country, rhythm and blues, and jazz are among the country’s most internationally renowned genres. Since the beginning of the 20th century, popular recorded music from the United States has become increasingly known across the world, to the point where some forms of American popular music is listened to almost everywhere. A history and an introduction in the ethnic music in the United States, American Indian music, classical music, folk music, hip hop, march music, popular music, patriotic music, as well as the American pop, rock, barbershop music, bluegrass music, blues, bounce music, Doo-wop, gospel, heavy metal, jazz, R&B, and the North American Western music.

Presents opposing viewpoints on twenty-one controversial political issues, covering democracy, government institutions, social change, and other topics.

In 1919, Lewis E. Lawes moved his wife and young daughters into the warden's mansion at Sing Sing prison. They shared a yard with 1,096 of the toughest inmates in the world-murderers, rapists, and thieves who Lawes alone believed capable of redemption. Adamantly opposed to the death penalty, Lawes presided over 300 executions. His progressive ideas shocked many, but he taught the nation that a prison was a community. He allowed a kidnapper to care for his children and a cutthroat to shave him every morning. He organized legendary football games for his "boys," and befriended Hollywood greats such as Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart. This is "A story almost too good to be true, but too true to miss." -Mario Cuomo

Prison City looks beneath the placid surface of Huntsville, Texas, execution capital of the world, and sheds light on controversial issues usually hidden behind penitentiary walls. The authors draw on a multitude of voices from the community surrounding the prison - from inmates and guards to neighboring residents and local politicians - to reflect on questions of crime and punishment, vengeance, and forgiveness. We see how the sophisticated communication techniques employed by inmates, information officers, and community leaders shape opinions in the small towns where prisons are a principal industry. The poignant, evocative stories that run throughout the book highlight the incarcerated population's increasing influence in the political, cultural, and economic landscape in the United States. Most of all, Prison City offers opportunities to understand why the Texas justice system has become a global metaphor for incarceration and capital punishment.